Bobby Gaylor

Fuzzatonic Scream

by Benn Joseph

Wow. This CD is simply amazing. It is so different, inventive, and fun to listen to that I can hardly contain myself. To begin with, this is not really music. I mean, there’s music in the background, but “spoken word” seems to be a more apt classification.

It’s not really poetry, though. You might think it’s poetry, and perhaps you would be right, but I would have to disagree (to a certain extent). There are no rhymes, and if there is any rhythm it is pretty much imperceptible. It works like this: there are some background noises that commence any given track, such as birds chirping, wind blowing, etc. Then the narration starts.

Fuzzatonic Scream

(Atlantic)US: 22 Feb 2000

“I hit a guy with my car once. (Thump, thump, thump). It was a 1970 Plymouth Satellite. (Groovy drum beat). I was driving home from a gig one night…” Then the narrator continues for about six minutes in a very in-depth monologue about how he thought he knocked the guy’s head off when he hit him, but it turns out he didn’t, then some old guy hit his car, etc. etc.

This is not something you’ve heard before. This is not an album of narrative-styled songs, like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” It’s not some guy recording himself reading poetry, just so he can get all the emphases and enunciations correct, either. This is just a guy telling stories about himself, with some music in the background, and it cultivates the most intense, edge-of-your-seat feelings in the listener. I found myself hanging on his every word, writhing in agony every time he paused for a breath. Sometimes he would pause just for effect, and that would make it worse because I would be trying really hard not to writhe, and arrgghh!!!!!!

He tells stories on topics like suicide, hitting people with his car, killing frogs, masturbation, and being robbed. All these narrations proclaim his ideas about animals (don’t hurt them), solo sex (do it) and killing yourself (don’t do it), and attempt to persuade the listener in a very covert manner do things such as masturbate, eat hot dogs and run away from guns (not necessarily in that order).

As an artist, there is little information that can be gathered on this man. His website shares with us that he was born in “twisted suburbia” and that his favorite drink is “vodka with anything.” That’s about it. But is really adds to the mystique of who this person is, and why he’s so weird. If you want to check this out, its at www.bobbygaylor.com.